Maybe Someday
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: When Lily gets news of her sister's capture, she knows that she has to save her, whatever the cost. Canon divergent. Warnings for language and some implied violence/war stuff


**A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts. Prompts below. :)**

 **Folklore Task 8: Write about protecting or saving a sibling**

 **Note: Canon divergent. Just because :)**

 **Word Count: 3776**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.**

 **Enjoy!**

When Lily received the news of her sister's capture, she thought that Moody was joking.

"I'm sorry," she said, chuckling slightly even as her heart beat faster, "what did you say?"

Both of Moody's eyes were trained on her, his face even graver than usual. "Your sister and her husband have gone missing," he repeated bluntly. "The Dark Mark was above their house, but we couldn't locate any bodies. The only other explanation is that they were taken—most likely to get some leverage over you."

Lily flinched, and she felt James' fingers slide over to grasp hers tightly. Her chest felt tight, and she shook her head at Moody.

"But Petunia—Petunia and I don't even get _on_ ," she protested. "Why would Voldemort—?"

Moody shrugged, running a hand down his scarred face. "Why does he do anything, lass? If we understood him then we would have stopped him by now."

Lily buried her face in her hands as muttering broke out around her. The Order was convening at the Longbottoms' house, and Lily couldn't help but wish that she was in her own home. She and Petunia hadn't been friendly towards each other since before Lily started at Hogwarts, but whatever bad blood there was between them, it was still terrifying to know that the most evil wizard of all time was holding her sister captive.

"We have to get them back," she insisted, her voice muffled by her hands. "Alastor, we have to save her—"

"And we will," Dumbledore interrupted softly. "But we need to think this out properly. What could Voldemort want from you so badly that he would target you specifically?"

Lily closed her eyes, thinking. She knew she had to figure out the answer, but she couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept wandering back to her sister, who had nothing to do with this war and was defenseless against magic, who probably thought that Lily wouldn't bother coming, who was expecting a child in seven months—

Sweet Merlin, her _nephew_ was in danger.

"I don't know," she said shakily. "I don't have any idea what he would want with me. Could he—is it something to do with James, maybe? Through me?"

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Perhaps. Though I believe Voldemort would have tried… other tactics if he wanted to target James himself."

Albus' blue eyes lingered on Peter, Sirius, and Remus for a moment longer than necessary.

Lily swallowed, nodding. She squeezed James' hand tightly.

James' hazel eyes were solemn. "We'll get them back, Lily," he promised quietly. "We won't rest until we do."

She knew it was a useless promise to make, but she smiled at him anyway.

Remus cleared his throat, brushing his brown hair, which had grown long enough in recent months for the gentle curls to tickle his cheekbones, impatiently out of his face. "How do we track them down, though? I mean, of course we're going to try," he added hurriedly when Lily turned her green-eyed glare on him, "but there are a lot of Death Eater strongholds, and I hardly think we know all of them. If we go one by one through them all, the Dursleys could be moved or…"

He trailed off, but his message was clear. They didn't have long.

Peter leaned forward, but he didn't meet any of their eyes, fiddling with the cuffs of his robes instead. "I think… I have an idea."

Everyone turned to look at the short man, and Lily noted with some annoyance that all but herself and the Marauders seemed surprised. Peter took a deep breath, obviously uncomfortable.

"A-about a week ago, I was visited by… by…"

James was leaning forward in his seat, glasses glinting in the dim light. "By who, Peter?" he asked softly.

Peter flinched. "Lucius Malfoy," he admitted. "They want me—I mean, they asked if I—and I didn't say yes, but I was too afraid to say no just then…"

Sirius cursed colorfully and angrily, but Remus' hand shot out to clasp his friend's shoulder tightly. "But you didn't say yes," he said calmly. "And now we have an in. Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to."

Peter was silent for a long moment, blue eyes trained on the table. Finally, he lifted his head up to look Lily in the eye. "I'm sure."

Lily bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears. "Thank you, Peter," she whispered. She didn't think she could say more than that, but he seemed to understand.

One look at her husband, though, and Lily could tell that he didn't agree with the plan. Spying on the Death Eaters would be dangerous, and James always hated letting his friends do anything risky without him. Peter caught the look, too.

"It will be okay, James," he murmured.

James clenched his jaw. "I just want you to be safe."

Sirius laughed hollowly. "Since when are any of us safe?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "We have a plan," he said firmly.

Peter looked at the old headmaster steadily. "We have a plan," he confirmed.

* * *

The night was black and cold, leaving Lily shivering, though her cloak was thick. It had been a week since news of Petunia's abduction had reached the Order's ears, and she hoped that they weren't too late. Peter had worked quickly and efficiently—it wasn't much of a secret, the location of the Dursleys, but he had managed to find out without anyone suspecting anything. Lily owed him a great debt, which she would be happy to repay after her sister was safe and sound.

Peter was out with the Death Eaters, to keep up pretense, so it was just Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus. The Order had decided that a small rescue party would be safest, and Lily was glad. If a battle broke out, then she wouldn't have to worry about who had her back. She trusted these men with her life.

Sirius' black hair blew into his face when he turned to Lily. "Are you ready to go in?"

She nodded mutely, her heart leaping into her throat. They were outside an abandoned warehouse near the coast, but the protective wards surrounding it were taken down quickly by Remus' skilled hand.

There weren't many guards, and Lily pushed down her sense of unease. She didn't have time to worry about how simple things seemed. The four of them crawled through a window, entering a small, circular room.

Sirius tried the door; it was unlocked. He crossed his arms. "Something's wrong. Their security is never this lax."

Remus nodded, the moonlight streaming through the window making his scars stand out a silvery-white. "You're right. They wanted us to come here. The question is why."

Lily glared at them. "Does that matter right now?" she hissed. "Petunia and Vernon could be _dead._ We can't just sit around and try to puzzle this out. Are you with me or not?"

James grabbed her arm. He looked worried. "Lily, we need to think this through carefully. We can't save Petunia and Vernon if we're dead."

She looked away, exhaling slowly. "I know. But this… it's killing me."

With those words, she pushed past them and opened the door, slipping out into the hallway beyond. After an excruciatingly slow hour of dodging Death Eaters and breaking into locked doors, they finally saw them—Petunia and Vernon.

Lily rushed forwards. It was a small room with a large mattress and a chamber pot as the only furniture. Vernon was asleep on the little bed, his huge chest rising and falling at regular intervals. Petunia was awake, staring blankly out the window several feet above her head. Lily noticed that they were each chained to the wall by an ankle.

Lily dropped to her knees in front of her sister, reaching out for her thin face. "Tuney?" she whispered.

Petunia's eyes snapped over to her, and Lily heard her gasp.

"Lily?" she croaked.

THe two sisters stared at each other for a long time, hardly daring to believe that what they were seeing was real. They hadn't seen one another in almost two years; the only reason Lily even knew about her soon-to-be nephew was because of the short, curt letter Petunia sent after she found out.

Lily's lip trembled suddenly as a wave of relief washed over her. "I'm so, so sorry. I thought you were both safe from all this—I didn't think they even knew about you, I'm so sorry, but we're here to rescue you both—"

Petunia shot forward and embraced her younger sister, and that was the last straw for Lily. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, clutching Petunia like a lifeline. Petunia was crying too, and she was dimly aware of James going to wake Vernon up.

"Lily," Petunia was mumbling. "Oh, Lily, Lily—Lily!" She pulled away, and Lily immediately missed her touch. "You need to leave. That—that _horrible_ Snape boy wants you here for some reason, and—oh, I _told_ you he shouldn't be anywhere near the family!"

Lily froze. "Snape? But why—"

"He wants to spare you from some nonsense or other," Petunia said impatiently. "Now go, leave, it's a trap—what are you waiting for?"

Lily stared at her in disbelief. "I can't leave you!"

James was working on freeing Vernon, who was snapping at him to hurry up. To his credit, James just clenched his teeth and kept muttering spells under his breath. Lily peered at the man closely. Despite his rough demeanor, she could tell that he was quite terrified. She couldn't blame her brother-in-law—Voldemort was horrible enough to a witch or wizard, but to someone who was utterly defenseless against him… she shuddered to think.

Petunia looked tired, mostly. Her mouth was set in a thin line of disapproval, though Lily couldn't imagine why, and she refused to get up.

"Take Vernon," Petunia said quietly, "but leave me here. I'll slow you down."

Lily jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw who it was. Sirius was glaring angrily at Petunia.

"You're slowing us down by arguing," he said bluntly. "If I have to bloody carry you I will, but we need to get out of here _now._ "

Petunia drew herself up, still on the floor, in a manner as dignified as she could manage. "You most certainly will not." She pointed to the chamber pot, looking Lily in the eye. "I'm not up for something like an escape attempt. I just," she added, her voice cracking, "I'm just not."

Lily grabbed Sirius' arm. "She's pregnant," she told him. "She's in no condition to be running about."

Sirius' grey eyes widened in understanding. "Oh," he mumbled. He grinned at Petunia suddenly, mischief shining in his eyes. "Guess I really will have to help you out, won't I?"

Ignoring her shrill protests (thank Merlin Remus had had the insight to _silencio_ the room), Sirius scooped her up. Lily took the opportunity to work off the manacle around her sister's ankle.

Remus raised an eyebrow when they all emerged, but he question them. He jerked his head towards the empty hallway. "No guards. Definitely a trap. Sirius, give Petunia to James. You and I are going to create a diversion, and—"

"No," James interrupted loudly. "Peter's already in danger. We're not splitting up."

Vernon chose that moment to find his voice. "I don't bloody well care what you lot do, just get my wife out of here! She's not to be harmed, yo hear me Potter? Anything happens to my wife and I'll make you wish you were never born."

Lily put a hand up to silence him. "Vernon, nothing is going to happen to Petunia. She's my priority. Now, Remus." She turned to the man in question. "Do you have any ideas on how we can escape? Something they won't have planned for?"

Remus frowned. "Well, there are defensive wards around the perimeter, designed to keep things out, not in… so they expect to capture us before we can reach those boundaries. There are anti-Apparation charms in place, so that's not an option, either."

"That's a lot of magic," Lily mused. "There has to be a catch—that much magic can't go on for long, not unless someone was devoting all their energy into casting the spells. Even then, there will be holes."

"Yes," Remus agreed, the only person she knew able to follow a conversation like this. "There must be holes. So—" A grin suddenly overtook his face. "We need to get onto the roof."

* * *

James thought Remus was a genius. Sirius thought he was insane. Lily thought he was both.

Remus was smart enough to realize that the anti-Apparation wards were stretched out into a dome around the property. Every surface was buzzing with the charm, but the air surrounding them wasn't. If they could manage to Apparate in midair, then they could arrive safely home. The problem was, it was nearly impossible to do.

When Remus proposed the plan, Vernon's face turned purple and he began spluttering. "You want to jump off the bloody roof so you can—can whisk us away into oblivion?"

Remus turned to him, amber eyes unimpressed. "No," he said slowly. "I was thoroughly sarcastic in my comments. Yes, Vernon, I do. Unless you'd like to stay here."

Before Vernon could retort, James stepped in. "They've spotted us up here—probably started looking after we took so long getting out. We need to go _now._ "

Lily took Petunia's hand and squeezed it. "Jump, Tuney. Just hang on to me."

Petunia's eyes widened in alarm. "Wait, Lily—"

The door to the roof bust open, and witches and wizards in skull masks and black cloaks came pouring out of it. Petunia let out a shriek and Lily steered her toward the roof's edge, casting a Shield Charm over her shoulder. Remus and James both grabbed one of Vernon's arms and dragged him, still swearing, off the edge. Lily watched as Remus twisted a bit clumsily, but to her relief the three of them disappeared with a loud _crack._

Sirius was holding back the hordes, aiding by the narrow slopes of the roof. Still, he couldn't keep them back forever, so Lily took her sister and jumped. Just before she vanished, she could hear the voice of the man who had tried to lure her here in the first place.

"Lily! Wait, please!"

But they were gone.

* * *

As soon as her feet hit the ground, Lily stumbled, off balance. She looked around the buildings surrounding them, pleased that she was in the right place. She turned to her sister, red hair flying as cars ran by.

"Are you all right, Tuney?" she asked cautiously. Her sister was doubled over, pressing her hands against her stomach.

"No," Petunia snapped, looking nauseous.

Lily frowned sharply. "No need to say that. I was only asking."

Petunia scowled, straightening up. "It's your fault we were there in the first place," she whispered angrily. "My family could have been completely wiped out in one fell swoop, and that's because of _you!"_

"I'm your family too!" Lily exploded, her voice rising. There were very few people out in London at this time of night, but she still didn't want to be overheard by the Muggles, so she lowered her voice. "Or have you forgotten that? I risked my own life to get you back, and my friends don't even _know_ you and they risked their lives to help—doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Oh, whine all you want," Petunia snarled. "My baby could have _died—_ " She broke off in a sob, hugging her abdomen as her thin frame shook. "They're not even safe away from you all," she whispered. "Why did you have to go there—why couldn't you just stay with me? Then we could be safe and everything could be _normal_ again."

Petunia dropped to her knees as she cried, and Lily was struck speechless. She lowered herself down next to her sister, trying to find the right words to say.

"I miss what we had, when we were younger," she admitted softly. "I wish we could be like that again."

Petunia didn't respond. Lily shook her head. "Are you hurt, Petunia?"

If she noticed the change from the nickname to her full name, she didn't mention it. She just pointed to her ankle, which was rubbed raw from the cuff that had been around it.

Lily pulled out some of the healing salve that she always brought with her in case of emergencies and dabbed a little bit on her finger. As she gently smoothed it over the blistered skin, she glanced over to her sister.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that," she murmured honestly. "I'll tell Vernon the same when the boys catch up to us—Remus was probably a bit off, Disapparating is hard enough in midair, but with three people… I hope it was only a destination error and that he didn't splinch himself. Sirius has never been the most accurate when Apparating, but he can navigate London all right, even the Muggle parts. Petunia, I—I didn't want this to happen."

Petunia took a deep breath, calming down. "I know that."

Lily hesitated. "What did they do to—"

"I don't want to talk about it," Petunia interrupted harshly.

Lily stared at her for a long moment before she decided to let it go. "Of course."

The two sisters sat in silence for a long time, watching the occasional car race by. Suddenly, Petunia broke the silence.

"He's too young for you. Your husband, I mean. Potter."

Lily looked at her in confusion. "James is younger than I am."

"I didn't mean in age," Petunia said stiffly. "He's so arrogant… obnoxious."

Lily decided not to point out that Vernon was the same way. "He can be, at times. But he's a good man. When things really matter, like the war… there's no one I would rather have at my side. He knows that life doesn't always end happily, deep down… he just tries to make it as light as possible."

"I don't think I believe in 'deep down'," Petunia told her. "I think that all you are is the things you do… and sometimes I wonder where that leaves us. Who's to say what is truly good and evil?"

It was clear to Lily that this conversation was no longer referring to James, so she waited for her sister to elaborate, knowing that if she wanted to, she would. But Petunia didn't say anything more.

Lily would wonder later if Petunia was calling out herself, or the wizarding community. Her sister wasn't oblivious to the hate Muggles received from wizards, and she understood that they often thought the non-magical mundane. But time was something she couldn't get back, and it had created a chasm too wide for the sisters to cross. Their relationship was destroyed; Lily knew that. Though she missed it, she realized that she had to learn to live with this distance.

She finished with the salve. "There," she said quietly, "all finished. That should feel better in a couple minutes."

Petunia was saved from answering by a shout a few meters away. Both women turned to see James waving frantically at them, the rest of their party trailing behind.

He ran up to Lily, kissing her enthusiastically. "We did it," he said, beaming. "They're safe, we're safe—Peter's at headquarters already, he might have to go into hiding, but for now…"

Lily laughed, but then a certain thought struck her. "How do we get Petunia and Vernon back home? We have to put wards up around their house now, obviously, but we should do that tonight before… anyone else beats us to it."

Sirius walked over then, pulling his hair into a messy bun. "Leave that to me, Evans."

"It's Potter, Black," she called after him, exasperated, but he just crossed the street and vanished into the darkness. Lily sighed and put her concern for her sister to the side. One battle at a time, she reminded herself. Her sister's troubling words could wait until they were all safe.

She went to stand next to James, who was peering worriedly at the spot Sirius had disappeared. "We shouldn't stay here much longer," he muttered. "We don't know if they can find us."

Lily nodded her agreement, privately deciding to keep the news of Snape's desperate attempts to see her to herself until further notice. She knew that she couldn't keep it a secret forever, though; if he was willing to tell his master about Petunia and Vernon, it was likely that he would also try to use Remus' secret to his advantage.

"We'll go as soon as Sirius is back," she told him, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. "He may be a bastard, but his plans usually work."

James snorted, and Lily knew she had alleviated the tension, at least momentarily.

Sirius chose that moment to return, grinning as he held up a wallet. "We'll get a cab," he said proudly.

James stared at him. "Where'd you get that?"

Sirius shrugged, pulling out a wad of cash. "Some Muggle using the tele-whatever booth left her purse outside. Didn't notice when I nicked it."

Lily let out a noise of protest. "That's stealing!"

Sirius looked at her, grey eyes surprisingly grave. "We're working to save the bloody world, Evans. Least they can do is pay for our taxi."

She didn't like it, but in the end she had to go along with it, as they were all too magically drained to try Apparating again. They had to take two separate ones, and as the car raced under the night sky, Lily found herself once again thinking of Petunia. Who was good in the world? Who was evil? Was it really so impossible to know?

If you really believed that what you are doing is right, can you be evil?

She shook the thought from her head when James grabbed her hand. His thumb was resting against her wedding ring and she smiled despite herself. He caught her eye and leaned over to whisper to her.

"I know you're worried, and that this is far from over, but we did it. Lily, they're okay. For now, everything's fine."

She exhaled slowly, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "I know," she murmured. "James?"

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath. "I love you. So much."

He smiled at her, and she knew that he understood the weight of her words.

"I love you, too, Lily."

They rode in contented silence the rest of the way to Number 4 Privet Drive.

 **A/N:**

 **Writing Club:**

 **Assorted Appreciation: 17. Alt. Write about someone expecting.**

 **Disney Challenge: Characters 7. Phoebus — Alt. Write about someone argumentative.**

 **Book Club: Momo — (word) dignified, (dialogue) "I was thoroughly sarcastic in my comments.", (color) brown**

 **Showtime: 13. Shine A Light (Reprise) — (word) whine**

 **Amber's Attic: 10. Alfred — Write about caring for someone after an injury (5 bonus points)**

 **Liza's Loves: 13. Write about a character tending to another's wounds.**

 **Angel's Arcade: Places 5. Metropolis — Muggle London**

 **Lo's Lowdown: Dialogue 2. "I don't think I believe in 'deep down'. I think that all you are is the things you do."**

 **Bex's Basement: 3. Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran — I miss the way you make me feel**

 **Film Festival: 7. (scenario) stealing someone's wallet or purse; 16. (dialogue) "S/he's too young for you."**


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